Pain research & management : the journal of the Canadian Pain Society = journal de la société canadienne pour le traitement de la douleur
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Pain perception is known to depend on integrated cognitive processing. Alzheimer's disease affects 5% to 10% of older adults, but the impact of this disease on pain sensitivity and report has yet to be fully investigated. ⋯ The present findings indicate that pain perception in response to an acute heat pain stimulus is not diminished in older persons with cognitive impairment. Patients with Alzheimer's disease may be slightly less reliable in threshold pain report, although the subjective rating of evoked pain and the level of poststimulus cortical activation following noxious stimulation were found to be similar to those of controls. A longer latency of the CERP may suggest slower cortical processing of nociceptive input by persons with Alzheimer's disease.
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The McGill Pain Questionnaire, Japanese version, reconsidered: confirming the theoretical structure.
Based on a tripartite theoretical model of pain, the Pain Rating Index (PRI) of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) continues to be one of the most frequently used instruments to measure clinical pain. However, language and cultural barriers have hindered its wide use and standardization in Japan. Although a number of exploratory factor analysis studies have failed to support consistently the theoretical structure of the MPQ, a few previous confirmatory factor analysis studies did statistically support the a priori model. ⋯ CFA was completed on the first 16 PRI subclass scores; this process yielded a well fitting final model that explained 92% of the covariance in the observed data. The results supported the hypothesis that the sensory, affective and evaluative subscales of the PRI are representative of the multidimensionality of the pain experience, with minimal overlap. It is suggested that the theoretical structure of the MPQ is maintained in the JMPQ used in this study. Therefore, this study is the first step toward standardization of the JMPQ, serving as a cultural bridge in the field of pain medicine between Japan and English-speaking nations such as Canada.
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The administration of sucrose with and without non-nutritive sucking (NNS) has been examined for relieving procedural pain in newborn infants. The calming and pain-relieving effects of sucrose are thought to be mediated by endogenous opioid pathways activated by sweet taste. The orogustatory effects of sucrose have been demonstrated in animal newborns, and in preterm and full term human infants during painful procedures. ⋯ Although there is uncertainty as to whether the effects of sucrose and NNS are synergistic or additive, there is sufficient evidence to support the efficacy of combining the two interventions for procedural pain relief in infants. In this review article, the underlying mechanisms of sucrose and NNS, separately and in combination for relieving procedural pain in preterm and full term infants, are examined. Clinical and research implications are addressed.
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Judgments about an individual's pain can be profoundly important to sufferers. Relatively few studies have examined variables that may affect observers' judgments of the pain of others. The present article reports two studies investigating the relationship between different kinds of exposure to pain problems and observers' ratings of the pain intensity of patients. ⋯ Together, the findings imply that one's experiences with the different problems of pain patients may affect pain judgments. Alternative interpretations of the findings are considered.